A majority of parents of special-education students are left hanging on the phone when they call the Education Department for help, a report out today charges.

A survey of 98 calls to the Committees on Special Education for each of the city Department of Education’s 10 regions found that less than half were answered or returned within a week.

The survey was conducted last fall by the staff of Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, who cited obstacles ranging from full voicemail boxes to incorrect phone numbers provided by the DOE.

“When their children are having problems at school, parents want help, not the run-around,” Gotbaum said. “By not returning calls, the city is failing parents.”

Investigators reached an appropriate person in just 37 of the calls and were unable to leave messages in 32 others where there was no voicemail option, the voicemail was full, or a receptionist instructed them to call back instead of taking a message. Nine of 29 messages left were returned.

“Parents should get the special-education information they need in the language they speak in a timely manner,” DOE spokeswoman Lindsey Harr said, noting that the department provides critical documents in eight languages.

Said John Englert, president of the parent-only Citywide Council on Special Education: “If parents aren’t constantly calling or . . . showing up at the offices, their concerns aren’t answered.”

Investigators called the 14 committee offices seven times each. Region 5, covering parts of Brooklyn and Queens, proved the least reachable, with just one call answered. The most responsive was Region 4, in northwest Queens, with an immediate answer or a return call six out of seven times.